242 ' KINDLY RECEIVED BY THE MONKS, however, by telling him that we would surely shoot him if he again attempted to desert us.

After a consultation as to what was to be done, we decided on continuing the ascent. We were unwilling to be beaten ; and moreover, owing to the formation of the mountain, we were less exposed in advance than in retreat. A tedious and dangerous climb brought us near the summit, — which was much farther off than we had anticipated, — when we perceived an old man coming down to meet us, who told us, that, seeing the tarbooshes of the soldiers, we had been taken for Turks. He then showed us the best way to reach the top, and pointed out to us how far we were from the path we should have taken.

What was nothing to this old man, who had lived on the mountain for forty years without having come down, was no joke to us ; and we were sincerely glad when it was all over, and the top was readied. We found, on our arrival, a" huge fig-tree and a number of conical-roofed huts. The monks received us kindly, and gave us a hut to sleep in, some dried figs about the size of hazel-nuts, and unleavened bread, to eat, with very dirty-looking water to wash it down ; for which, however, we were very thankful. Their daily fare consisted of figs and bread. We saw several large threshing-floors, and they grew sufficient dhiirra for their own use.

There were eight monks, mostly aged creatures, some of whom had not been down into the valley below for over forty years. They were dressed in coarse cotton cloth, dyed yellow, with caps of the same material, and went barefooted. They took us to see their church, — a round building, thatched with straw, and divided into three compartments, one inside the other ; the innermost being accessible only to the high-priest.

They showed us some manuscripts ; one of which, evidently held in high veneration among them, we understood to be a